Hockey people tend to be a superstitious lot. Perhaps it should be expected that New Jersey Devils coach Peter DeBoer embraces the idea of adult film actress Taylor Stevens sitting behind him during Game 6 like she did in Game 4, then.

“We won last time she was there, so I’ll buy her ticket,” DeBoer said.

The brush with Stevens wasn’t the lone only-in-Hollywood moment for DeBoer and the Devils in Game 4. There’s been a sense that people counted out New Jersey for some time and DeBoer more or less acknowledged that feeling the last time the Devils visited the Staples Center.

“When your bus has to pull by 10 limos parked on the road ready for the after party, that’s definitely motivation,” DeBoer said.

(One cannot help but wonder if Drew Doughty was as distracted by the glitz and glamor of those potential after-parties than figuring out arrangements for friends and family before the game.)

The Devils have avoided elimination all four times they faced it so far in the postseason, including two games in the 2012 Stanley Cup finals. Still, it’s likely that Monday’s contest in Los Angeles might be the biggest test yet.